EU Water Framework Directive Implementation – Challenges Marjoleine Weemaes

Content WFD origin Objectives Basic notions River Basin Mgmt Plans Programmes of measures Challenges in urban wastewater treatment

Water is essential for human life, nature and the economy. It is permanently renewed but it is also finite and cannot be made or replaced with other resources. Freshwater constitutes only about 2 % of the water on the planet

‘Historical’ legislation: 1st wave of legislation 75/440/EEC: standards for rivers/lakes used for drinking water abstraction 78/659/EEC - 76/160/EEC- 80/68/EEC: Quality objectives on fish-, bathing and groundwater 76/464/EEC: Dangerous Substances Directive 2nd wave 91/271/EEC: Urban WasteWater Treatment Directive 91/676/EEC: Nitrates directive 96/61/EC: Integrated Pollution Prevention & Control 98/83/EEC: new Drinking Water Directive

The need for Framework Legislation 1996: Consultation/Water Conference Considerable progress in tackling individual issues But: fragmented water policies  Water Framework Directive adopted in 2000 Setting the objectives for water protection in the future: Get polluted waters clean again Ensure clean waters are kept clean

Water Framework Directive: 1.Expanding the scope of water protection to all waters, surface waters and groundwater 2.Water management based on river basins 3.Achieving good status for all water bodies by a set deadline (2027) 4.Combined approach of emission limit values and quality standards 5.Getting the prices right 6.Close involvement of the citizen Establish River Basin Management Plans + programme of Measures (6 year cycle)

Water Framework Directive: 1.Expanding the scope of water protection to all waters, surface waters and groundwater 2.Water management based on river basins 3.Achieving good status for all water bodies by a set deadline (2027) 4.Combined approach of emission limit values and quality standards 5.Getting the prices right 6.Close involvement of the citizen Immission  Emission

Water management based on river basins Natural and geographical unit  administrative and political boundaries Cooperation and joint objective setting across member state borders Produce River Basin Management Plans (RBMP) 96 RBD’s 29 international 13 within MS’s 16 non-EU 66% area based National: 587 – km 2 International: 8115 – km 2 Danube RBD shared by 18 countries

Water Framework Directive: 1.Expanding the scope of water protection to all waters, surface waters and groundwater 2.Water management based on river basins 3.Achieving good status for all water bodies by a set deadline (2027) 4.Combined approach of emission limit values and quality standards 5.Getting the prices right 6.Close involvement of the citizen Immission  Emission

Achieve ‘good status’ for all water bodies (Surface Water) Good ecological status: No absolute standards across EU Quality of biological community Hydrological characteristics (Physico)-Chemical characteristics Good chemical status EQS for chemical substances at EU level Good status in water bodies with ‘Other uses’ Protected areas: more stringenth requirements Derogation: if ‘use’ is essential and adversely affects status Minimal Anthropogenic Impact COMPARE SET STANDARDS

Achieve good status by a set deadline River Basin Management Plans: 6 year cycle

Water Framework Directive: 1.Expanding the scope of water protection to all waters, surface waters and groundwater 2.Water management based on river basins 3.Achieving good status for all water bodies by a set deadline (2027) 4.Combined approach of emission limit values and quality standards 5.Getting the prices right 6.Close involvement of the citizen Immission  Emission

Getting the prices right Polluter pays Water a price that fully reflects the service Operational & maintenance costs Infrastructure cost Environmental and resource costs Consider all activities that use water resources Create incentives for efficient use of water resources

Water Framework Directive: 1.Expanding the scope of water protection to all waters, surface waters and groundwater 2.Water management based on river basins 3.Achieving good status for all water bodies by a set deadline (2027) 4.Combined approach of emission limit values and quality standards 5.Getting the prices right 6.Close involvement of the citizen Immission  Emission

Close involvement of the citizen Balance the interest of various groups Allow people to influence the outcome of plans and working processes Better informed, more creative decision making More public acceptance (ownership?) Complicated task!

River Basin Management Plans Characterisation of the basin Maps of location and boundaries Identification of water body type and reference conditions Pressure and impact analysis of human activity Point and diffuse source pollution, hydromorfological changes Pressures on quantitative status, e.g. abstraction Monitoring and evaluation Environmental objectives Economical analysis of water use  Programme of measures

Programme of Measures Implement measures to prevent deterioration Inventarisation of all measures needed to reach good status in all water bodies Basic measures Supplementary measures to achieve good ecological status

Implementation of UWWTD was challenging financial – planning issues related to infrastructure investments Implementation advanced in EU-15 (close to full compliance) 1.Sewer overflows!! 2.Main challenge: maintaining and renewing sewerage collection & treatment systems 3.Priority pollutants EU-13: transitional periods (negotiated in accenssion treaties) comes to an end => still far away from full compliance Main challenge: continue to set up minimum required infrastructure Challenges in urban wastewater treatment

COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS 1

(1) Combined sewer systems “Older” urban areas: combined sewer systems Convey both storm water and sanitary sewage Peak storm water flows from typical rain events greatly exceed sanitary flows Storm runoff: 2/3 from roofed area - 1/3 from paved area

(1) Combined sewer overflows Waterquantity (2007)CSO/WWTP Q wwtp = 3,36 Mm 3 Q cso = 0,21 Mm 3 Waterquality (concentrations, 2007) WWTPCSO SS = 6 mg/LSS = 175 mg/L BOD = 3 mg/LBOD = 77 mg/L COD = 26 mg/LCOD = 141 mg/L NH 4 = 1,14 mg/LNH 4 = 1,94 mg/L TN = 7mg/LTN = 12,6 mg/L TP = 0,92 mg/LTP = 1,25 mg/L R Q = 6% R zs = 174% R bzv = 154% R czv = 30% R NH4 = 10% R TN = 10% R TP = 8%

(1) CSO’s: Relation to Climate Change Annual increase of precipitation of 1-2 % Change in heavy rainfall conditions of 5-40% Winter conditions Period of rainfall: days / weeks Insufficient conveyance capacity of rivers & streams Insufficient storage capacity of river valleys  Threat to natural water system Summer conditions Period of rainfall: minutes / hours Insufficient conveyance capacity of sewer systems  Threat to urban drainage system

(1) Combined vs separate sewers Separate sewer systems Storm sewers convey rainwater to rivers & streams Sanitary sewers convey sanitary flow to WWTP Mandatory in new/renovation projects unless stated otherwise Quality storm water runoff?

(1) CSO’s: Solutions?? Retention, infiltration at domestic level Real Time Control sewer systems

(1) CSO’s: Solutions?? Retention, infiltration at domestic level Real Time Control sewer systems Treatment of CSO’s?

Maintenance & rehabilitation 2

(2) Maintenance & Rehabilitation

(2) Maintenance & rehabilitation Asset management Causes Criticality Assess integrated solution Structural Hydraulic Carry out actions Revision plan Implemen -tation Inspection Evaluation Action plan

Priority pollutants 3

List of priority pollutants: EQS Watch list of emerging pollutants Ethinylestradiol Estradiol Diclofenac Erytrhomycine Clarythromycine, … Develop strategic approach towards the risks of pharmaceutical compounds in the environment (3) Priority pollutants Daughter directive priority pollutants

Monitoring AQF-WWTP (3) Priority pollutants

Advanced treatment: costs Post treatment Dose mg/L Electricity consumption kWh/m 3 Primary energy kWh/m 3 Costs PE €/m PE €/m 3 Ozone + sandfilter 3-100,1-0,20,3-0,60,15-0,20,05-0,07 Powder AC + filter ,050,5-0,80,25-0,30,09-0,11 Source: EU FP 7 project Neptune, project (Contract No , SUSTDEV II.3.2), Conventional wastewater treatment : 0,7 €/m 3 (3) Priority pollutants

WFD-related challenges in urban WWT 1.Sanitation of combined sewer overflows 2.Maintenance and rehabilitation of sewer and treatment infrastructure 3.Cost effective solutions to tackle emerging compounds